In many broadcast systems and other communication systems, it is desirable to switch from one version or instance of a media signal or stream to another version or instance of the media stream or signal. For example, a broadcast facility may produce a primary version and a secondary version of an audio/video signal. The primary signal may be broadcast on a particular channel. If the primary signal becomes unavailable, it may be desirable to broadcast the secondary signal on the channel. When switching the source for the channel from the primary to the secondary signal, it can be desirable to ensure that the primary and secondary signals are synchronized in time such that the transmission on the channel remains synchronized in content.
Many broadcast facilities receive, generate and transmit a large number of signals. When intending to make a switch from one version of a signal to another version of a signal it is possible to inadvertently switch to an unrelated signal resulting in an undesirable transition on a channel from one program to another program.
In some cases, two versions of a signal in a broadcast system may be out of synchronization such that one of the signals is running ahead of the other. When a switch is made from one version of the signal to another version of the signal, it is possible that a portion of the media signal will be presented twice, or a portion of the media signal may be skipped altogether.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for assessing the synchronization of two media streams and for identifying whether two streams contain corresponding content.